Small Fry At Prescott

On July 27th there was an International Fixture at the Bugatti Owners’ Club Prescott Hill. All the Pressmen wore passes decked with gay ribbons, entitling them to cocktails in the Stewards’ enclosure, and a small assembly of spectators enjoyed a fine day’s sport, run off with traditional B.O.C. efficiency.

At first we were puzzled by the excellent times for, if the twisty course was dry, all the Bugattis (save Peter Stubberfield’s, which did some demonstration runs — best time 46.61 sec.) appeared to be on one cylinder and of types unknown to us. Eventually it dawned that this was a meeting confined to half-litre cars of non-Ettore origin. We were then able to take a proper interest in the proceedings and observe the extreme excellence of Les Leston’s climbs in the Cooper-Norton, which repeatedly went up in under 46 sec., setting a new 500-c.c. record of 45.27 sec. Moss drove Annable’s Kieft, because his own had been damaged at Swansea the previous day, and was second fastest, in 46.24 sec. Third fastest time was made by Leigh’s Cooper, in 46.28 sec. Parker had a J.A.P. engine in his Kieft as more suited to Prescott than his Norton. Alas, Clive Lones was unable to defend his lost record, for he crashed in practice and had to have 14 stitches in his head. Wicken also pranged in practice.

The International element was provided by two Beels-J.A.P.s, of which only one ran as the other had a broken cog-box, Pim Richardson showing greater skill than Beels, and the Scampolo-D.K.W. of Duetz which arrived on a very clever single-tube trailer behind a B.M.W. It has a rear-placed, water-cooled two-cylinder, four-piston, rotary inlet-valve, two-stroke engine (which makes a delightful noise!), swing-link independent rear suspension, transverse leaf spring i.f.s. and a tubular frame. It was very consistent but no faster than its 35 b.h.p. suggested.